


You're Lee?

by itsmoonpeaches



Series: Identity Theft [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ba Sing Se, Gen, Minor Zuko/Jin, POV Aang (Avatar), Past Zuko/Jin, Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:22:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25296118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmoonpeaches/pseuds/itsmoonpeaches
Summary: “You’re telling me that Lee from the tea shop is Fire Lord Zuko? This is the best day of my life,” an upper-class Earth Kingdom teenager said to his friend on the street.“That’s what Chang told me the other day! It might just be a rumor though. We have to see it for ourselves!”-Or, Aang has a little fun in Ba Sing Se. Zuko takes the brunt of it.
Relationships: Aang & Iroh (Avatar), Aang & The Gaang (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Identity Theft [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830898
Comments: 42
Kudos: 727
Collections: A:tla





	You're Lee?

**Author's Note:**

> "Lee from the tea shop?" Yeah, that's the line that inspired this. This is what has finally convinced me to write a sequel to "You're Kuzon?" after a decade. You should probably read that one first before this! It will make a bit more sense.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this!

“You’re telling me that Lee from the tea shop is Fire Lord Zuko? This is the best day of my life,” an upper-class Earth Kingdom teenager said to his friend on the street. He was tan with the typical green eyes of the region and was medium in height with a stocky build. His fancy dress robes appeared more-or-less ignored, like he was the kind of person that did not care what he looked like but adhered to what society dictated he should be.

His shorter friend laughed at his side. He looked about the same age and class, except his hair was tied neatly into a topknot unlike the messy bun the other teenager wore. “That’s what Chang told me the other day! It might just be a rumor though. We have to see it for ourselves!”

Aang blinked when he heard the snippets of conversation, ducking behind a stall full of bouquets. He tugged his conical rice hat further down on his brow to cover his arrow. He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, holding in a snort of laughter.

So, he had to admit that he was finding this whole situation a lot more hilarious than he should have been. He was probably enjoying it because it was a sort of pay back from a few months ago when Zuko had all but insisted on giving him the responsibility of talking to Fire Nation schools to correct their misguided and misinformed history.

At the Fire Nation school that _he_ had attended in disguise as Kuzon, he might add.

Something brushed up against his arm. When he turned to his right to look at it, he realized it was the tail of a fat, bushy cat. It was scruffy and was more brown than white, but this had more to do with the fact that it was dirty rather than its natural fur. He would have found it quite adorable, if it were not for the mischievous glint in its beady yellow eyes.

With one deliberate swipe, the cat knocked down a vase of moon flowers from their partial shade on the cart. All while looking at Aang directly in the eyes.

_Crash!_

The container splintered into dozens of pieces; the intricate swirling designs cracked into oblivion. Water spilled onto the street and seeped into the cobblestones. The creamy petals of each fallen flower were floating away on the breeze.

A disgusted gasp came from behind him. He jumped when a hand slapped his arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a gravely voice snapped. “You’re destroying my merchandise! I hope you have the money to pay for it or I’ll report you to the Dai Li!”

Aang whipped around, eyes wide with surprise. He tried to tilt his hat further down his forehead. “Uh, sorry, miss,” he stuttered out, fumbling for change in his pockets.

The woman let out a startled exhale. “Wait a minute!” she shouted. Heads started to turn. “Aren’t you the Avatar?”

Aang perked up, back straightening. A gradual crowd began to form around them. He panicked. “No, no, you must be mistaken,” he said, deepening his voice. He was only just approaching fourteen and he hated to admit that his real voice was cracking like Sokka’s had been when he was attempting to prove that he had an Adam’s apple. “I’m someone completely different.”

He smacked a gold piece and two silver pieces onto the counter, not really knowing how much he owed her. He never had a good grasp on the concept of money. Judging by the posh tastes of the Upper Ring, he was sure it was expensive. He began to back away.

“No, I’m certain you’re Avatar Aang,” repeated the woman with finality. She ducked to peek under his hat.

He swiveled around and sprinted away, yelling over his shoulder, “I have no idea what you’re talking about!” He tried not to think about the fact that he was wearing yellow Air Nomad clothing and had airbended into his steps so he could run faster.

The ruse was up, but he should have known better than to walk out into the public roads of Ba Sing Se without a proper disguise. Sure, his hat had served him well, but his clothes were far too recognizable. Not to mention the striking blue of his arrow tattoos.

Zuko was going to kill him when he found out.

It was not his fault that he wanted to take a break from intermingling with the society and nobility of the Earth Kingdom! He had been at it for days, and frankly, he forgot what being normal felt like. It could not have been fair that Zuko got to escape the court with a wave and a bow. Well, that would have been exaggerating. It was more like Zuko had _failed to announce himself_ when he arrived in the capital city. He had decided that saying that he would take five days instead of the actual three to travel from the Fire Nation was more than sufficient for an excuse to take a much-needed short vacation. The Fire Lord had even got as far as entering the city with minimal guard and _in disguise as a juggler_ of all things.

Aang had no idea where his friend had gotten such a genius idea. He should have thought of that.

He rounded a corner, stopping only when he skidded into an open courtyard. In the center was an elaborate fountain. Guests were walking by it, and more were traversing up the stairs that led to the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon.

This was the real reason why he was there. For all intents and purposes, he was _not_ shirking his Avatar duties with the nobles. He was simply buying himself some time before the big formal banquet that evening.

The banquet that Zuko would finally show himself at after two days of serving tea with his Uncle Iroh.

Aang told himself that he was not jealous. He was not jealous at all.

Alright. He was a little.

With a heavy sigh, he watched the throngs of people make a queue that led to the entrance of the tea shop. He was supposed to go there to meet up with Zuko and his friends, but it seemed that destiny had a funny way of telling him that this was going to be a lot more difficult than he imagined it would be.

He tightened the strap tied underneath his chin from his hat. Standing up taller, he joined the line. He thought he heard a few whispers around him, and from the corner of his eye he might have seen a few fingers point in his direction.

Iroh had managed to keep a low profile for the most part, and very few people knew who he really was when he served them pots of tea. Some people still referred to him as Mushi. But, as Aang saw with an amused laugh, Zuko was way too distinguishable. Sure, he was called Lee by many of the employees flitting around the tea shop, but his scarred face was a honing beacon.

Still, most people did not seem to notice him as he served them tea, leaning over tables with a genuine smile. However, these people were commoners. It was the upper-class that raised eyebrows at him, muttering things in each other’s ears.

Aang could not wait to prove them right.

Twenty minutes later, he had made it to the front of the line. A server greeted him, handing him a menu. When Aang locked eyes with the lanky man, he was almost sorry for him. The poor man looked like he was about to faint.

“Av..Ava…” he stuttered, blinking rapidly. He bowed so low that he would have been bent in half if he was a piece of paper.

Aang exhaled. _So much for this useless disguise,_ he thought ruefully. He observed Zuko swooping from one table to another, utterly unaware. He grinned, thinking only of the cat that had outed him.

“No need to do that,” he said, turning his attention back to the waiter and raising his hands in a placating gesture. “But I would like it if you could sit me towards the back, and maybe…Lee could give me some of the Jasmine Dragon’s special today?”

The server nodded with vigor and brought him to a round wooden table near the kitchens. There were still enough people staring in his direction that Aang knew his plan was bound to be effective. He sat on a lone chair, folding his hands on the top of the table.

Iroh himself greeted him with a plate of kale cookies on the house, then returned to whatever his duties were.

Minutes later, Zuko was walking toward him, a platter under his armpit. As he came closer, Aang could see his good eye twitch.

 _Hook, line, and sinker,_ he thought with a chuckle.

Zuko stopped in front of him, frowning. He leaned in, gritting his teeth. “What are you doing here, Aang? You’re supposed to be at the palace.”

Aang’s grin spread across his face. He was sure he looked like a Cheshire, but he did not care. In fact, he relished in it. “Oh, nothing,” he replied with a wink. “Just waiting for the right moment.”

“The right moment,” Zuko deadpanned. He shifted his platter to the top of the table.

“That’s correct,” remarked Aang. He paused to eat a cookie, then continued, “You know how now all the Fire Nation schools are expecting the Avatar to come in to give lectures and how you and Sokka planned to make the first school I went to the one I enrolled at?”

Zuko stared at him.

“Well,” he smirked, drawing out the word. “It’s your fault for skipping and leaving me alone with the Earth King for the past five days.”

Zuko’s eyes widened, snatching the empty platter he had placed on the table. “You wouldn’t,” he gulped. He backed up a step.

Aang only smiled. With a calculated move, he tugged at the ribbon at his neck and took off his rice hat all in a breath. Zuko never stood a chance.

Then, with the loudest, most obnoxious expression he could muster, he said, “Zuko! Fancy seeing you here!”

A commotion started in which people were flocking in to look at them, and especially at Zuko. The customers waiting in the line were making a fuss, and servers had to push them backward. A few girls and guys actually _screamed_. Someone was fanning themselves with a flushed face. The nobles exclaimed that they had been right all along. He heard the boisterous laughter from Iroh somewhere in the kitchen.

“Zuko? As in _Fire Lord Zuko?”_ someone wheezed. “No way!”

“That’s the Avatar, so it has to be!” marveled another.

Even waiters were getting out of their posts to gape at them. He could spot a few of the royal guard edge to the scene from behind curtains with dumbfounded expressions like they were unsure what the protocol was in order to proceed. It was brilliantly executed, if Aang said so himself.

A pretty brunette woman with a high ponytail and bright eyes ran up to Zuko, mouth gaping. “ _You’re_ Lee?!” she yelled.

“Jin?!” stammered the Fire Lord. A blush redder than a tomato rushed from his neck to his forehead in no time at all.

Zuko gave Aang the most murderous look he had ever gotten, even from Ozai himself, in the space of a second. Sure, his cover was blown too, but it was not like his Air Nomad robes were doing him any favors on that front. Besides, the embarrassment was worth every effort.

Iroh sauntered out with a bouncing step, offering him a full pot of ginseng tea, and sliding on the seat beside him. He set a cup for himself and for Aang, and after a minute, poured them out. Both were snickering like schoolgirls as this Jin waved her arms and stuttered all over Zuko.

“To youth,” Iroh toasted as he laughed. He tapped his cup to Aang’s raised one.

Aang took another kelp cookie in his hand, and watched the show continue to unfold.

 _Ah,_ he thought, _sweet revenge._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave feedback if you can!


End file.
